SAN DIEGAN TO HELP DIRECT WORLD WAR ON CRIME

Interpol, the world’s largest international police force, has elected San Diegan Alan Bersin to its executive committee. Bersin, assistant secretary of international affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will also serve as Interpol’s vice president for the Americas.

The agency’s General Assembly, which met this month in Rome, selected its first woman president: Mireille Ballestrazzi, of the French Judicial Police. Among its 190 member nations, Interpol shares resources to combat illicit activities such as organized crime, maritime piracy, trafficking of illegal goods and cyber crime.

Bersin, who is married to S.D. Superior Court Judge Lisa Foster, previously served as San Diego City Schools superintendent and a U.S. Attorney for this region.

On the move: At Thursday’s farewell party for Walt Ekard, Mayor Jerry Sanders got chuckles when he said he wanted to be the first to congratulate the county chief administrative officer on joining Mayor-elect Bob Filner’s new team — a current rumor. Ekard, who will leave Dec. 1 after 13½ years as CAO, stressed that he has made no career decisions and won’t consider any offers until January.

“Something will come up, and I’ll like it, and I’ll do it,” Ekard told me. Whatever he pursues, he says he doesn’t plan to leave the San Diego area, where he grew up and where his children reside.

Filner joked he was glad Ekard was stepping down because Filner was tired of hearing everyone talk about the county’s balanced budgets, healthy reserves and good labor relations.

Party time: America’s Cup winners Bill Koch and Dennis Conner joined members of San Diego’s sailing community here for the official opening of the S.D. Hall of Champions’ permanent sailing exhibit.

The event doubled as a celebration of Malin Burnham’s 85th birthday. Along with Tom Fetter and others, Burnham was instrumental in creating the exhibit, for which Koch was the lead donor with a $500,000 pledge.

“Before I did the America’s Cup, I read all Dennis Conner’s books, then put my M.I.T. nerdness to it,” confided Koch, an M.I.T. graduate known for his technological innovations to the sport. “I can’t tell you how much it cost to get here in life,” he added.

Swift sale: Tickets for Taylor Swift’s Aug. 15 concert at Valley View Casino Center went on sale Friday morning. But don’t head to the box office of the former S.D. Sports Arena: They sold out in one minute, according to a center representative.

San Diegan Ink: Retired Rear Adm. Ronne Froman, referred to as the former “Navy mayor of San Diego,” plans to marry Linden Blue, co-owner of General Atomics, next weekend. After leaving the Navy, Froman became head of the local American Red Cross, served as Mayor Jerry Sanders’ chief operating officer, was CEO of Monarch School and now helps train returning troops for civilian life. Blue’s company developed the unmanned Predator aircraft. Any hopes the couple had of keeping below the radar were dashed by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who announced their marriage plans during a speech to the downtown San Diego business community.